Urban renewal makes it possible to restructure cities to make them more environmentally friendly thereby acting in the interest of the ecological transition.
What is urban renewal?
Urban renewal is a nationwide program that aims to transform the most fragile neighborhoods. Rehabilitation of housing, demolition of dilapidated buildings or buildings that no longer meet the residential expectations of residents, redevelopment of public spaces… Today, environmental considerations have been added, which translates into the creation of new green spaces, the creation of neutral or positive buildings – which produce energy – or the creation of rainwater recovery systems.
A concrete example, the Grand Lyon:
Under the aegis of Bruno Couturier, director of the Lyon La Duchère Mission, 120 hectares of large housing complexes dating from the 1960s, 80% of which are social housing, have been undergoing restructuring since 2005. The metropolis has moved towards sustainable urban planning – reinforcing the energy efficiency of buildings, district heating, rainwater harvesting and natural lighting in common areas -. This contributes to reducing the expenses of the inhabitants who sometimes see their energy bill reduced to a third of the usual amount.
In a bioclimatic approach, the buildings are oriented in such a way as to benefit from a good amount of sunlight and benefit from a maximum of green spaces to fight against heat islands.
Urban renewal therefore appears to be a good compromise between the well-being of inhabitants and respect for the planet.
